One of the best things about storytelling is that it is one way to literally touch a child. The ear is a sensory organ and when you tell a story to children you are actually touching them with your voice. Children also love to tell stories themselves and with just a little guidance they become great storytellers. The best book on this subject is Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss’ Children Tell Stories: A Teaching Guide. It is invaluable and also includes a terrific selection of good stories to tell. If you don’t have time to read the entire book, here are some ideas so you can have “storytelling camp” this summer:

1. Let the children pick out a story each that they really like.
2. Having said that, do guide them towards stories that have a simple plotline and actions that mount in a repetition of three, such as “the Three Billy Goats Gruff.” This makes for exciting listening and easy learning.
3. Once the children have selected a story, have them read it and note down the sequence of events on a card. One good idea is to have them think of the story as a series of pictures and have them draw these scenes. This is to help them remember the events without memorizing the words.
4. Now have the children visualize the scenes: Who are the people in each scene? What do they look like? How do they talk, move, and stand?
5. Imagine the action in the story.
6. The next step is to act out the story without words. Let the children mime the tale. I’ve found that this part works best if parents or teachers first model what to do. Children love physical movement and really get into acting out and learning the scenes in this way. It helps them visualize the story and becoming each character without using words.
7. Now it’s time to add sound effects. Model this for the children too. In the “The Billy Goats Gruff” I always add the sound of the goats tripping over the bridge “trip trap, trip trap.” Of course it gets louder with each goat. Experiment with different sounds. Does the wind whisper or howl? How would you make those sounds? What sound does a snapping twig make?
8. With all the physical movements in place and sound effects, the children can add words to the story. Parents and teachers should model this. Try giving each character a different voice, facial expression, body language and so on.
9. Plan a set opening and set closing. It can be as simple as “Once upon a time” and “The end,” but it can be more elaborate as well, such as “Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme and hens took snuff to make them tough, there lived…..” it’s just important to have set words to open and especially to close with. It is like the curtains opening and closing on a theater performance.
10. Now have the children pair up and tell their story to a partner including the actions, the sound effects and words. The listener may ask questions about parts that were difficult to visualize. Have the children tell the story again with a different partner.
11. Practice eye contact and looking directly at the audience.
12. Now they’re ready for show time. Let the storytelling begin.

For additional inspiration watch this short YouTube video. Also helpful is Esme Raji Codell's website.